The subject matter of the present disclosure broadly relates to the art of gas spring devices and, more particularly, to constructions that include a bead guard disposed along a mounting bead of a flexible spring member. Gas spring assemblies including such constructions as well as suspension systems including one or more of such gas spring assemblies and methods of manufacture are also included.
The subject matter of the present disclosure may find particular application and use in conjunction with components for wheeled vehicles, and will be shown and described herein with reference thereto. However, it is to be appreciated that the subject matter of the present disclosure is also amenable to use in other applications and environments, and that the specific uses shown and described herein are merely exemplary. For example, the subject matter of the present disclosure could be used in connection with gas spring assemblies of non-wheeled vehicles, support structures, height adjusting systems and actuators associated with industrial machinery, components thereof and/or other such equipment. Accordingly, the subject matter of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to use associated with gas spring suspension systems of wheeled vehicles.
Wheeled motor vehicles of most types and kinds include a sprung mass, such as a body or chassis, for example, and an unsprung mass, such as two or more axles or other wheel-engaging members, for example, with a suspension system disposed therebetween. Typically, a suspension system will include a plurality of spring devices as well as a plurality of damping devices that together permit the sprung and unsprung masses of the vehicle to move in a somewhat controlled manner relative to one another. Movement of the sprung and unsprung masses toward one another is normally referred to in the art as jounce motion while movement of the sprung and unsprung masses away from one another is commonly referred to in the art as rebound motion.
Generally, the range of motion of a suspension system extends between a first or fully compressed condition of one or more of the spring elements and a second or fully extended condition of one or more of the spring elements. Additionally, many suspension geometries allow the suspension components to move laterally and/or articulate at an angle relative to one another. To eliminate contact between opposing portions of the sprung and unsprung masses, contact between opposing portions of components of the suspension system or contact between any combination thereof during such suspension displacement, jounce bumpers are commonly installed on one or more portions of the vehicle to prevent such opposing portions from directly impacting one another. Thus, during jounce motion of the suspension system, an opposing component will contact the jounce bumper rather than impacting the component on or near which the jounce bumper is mounted.
Jounce bumpers of a variety of types, kinds and configurations have been developed and are commonly used. In some cases, one or more jounce bumpers can be secured in an external or exposed condition between opposing structural components of the vehicle. In other cases, suspension systems can include gas spring devices that include a spring chamber containing a quantity of pressurized gas as a working medium. In such cases, a jounce bumper can be disposed within the spring chamber of one or more of the gas spring devices. In some cases, the lateral and/or articulating travel of the suspension system can result in an undesirable interaction between the jounce bumper and other non-load bearing components of the gas spring device, which can undesirably influence the performance and/or other characteristics of such components.
Notwithstanding the widespread usage and overall success of conventional gas spring constructions, it is believed that a need exists to address the foregoing and/or other challenges while still retaining comparable or improved performance, ease of manufacture, ease of assembly, ease of installation, reduced cost of manufacture, and/or otherwise advancing the art of gas spring devices.